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Cadbury and Leckie's DH4, Airfix 1/72nd, OOB and only £1.75!


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Here's my first for this GB, as if I have nothing else to do...🤪

 

Airfix' Vintage Classic kit of the DH4 used by Cadbury and Leckie to down Zeppelin L70 in 1918.  I read that they flew to over 16,000 feet?  Incredible.  In any case...the box art...

 

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The schematics...

 

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The sprue...and decals, which look just fine.

 

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And the price tag...

 

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I'll start in on this over the next few days.  I have some wrapping up to do first.

 

-John

 

 

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24 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

A nice choice John, the DH.4 is a good looking aircraft.

I think you may have the cheapest kit in the GB, surely there should be some sort of prize for that!

Will you be attempting the rigging? It would give me nightmares!

Thanks Craig...I have never built a DH4 before.

 

Yes...rigging.  Ah ,well, we shall cross that bridge when we come to it.  Holes to drill, I imagine.  

 

The cost...I am not sure.  I don't recall ever buying a model kit in the UK.  I may have picked it up at a LHS elsewhere as part of someone's donated stash...

I have checked my account on the online auction site and there is no mention of it there.  It's a mystery.  

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Hi John and welcome to the GB. That's a wonderful choice of kit for this GB. Great price too. I'm looking forward to following your progress. 

Kind regards,

Stix

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Looking forward to this. I’ve built one as a conversion to a DH9, Alan Hall style. It’s a very nice kit and was well regarded when it came out in the late 1960s.


I bought mine (and a couple of other WWI kits in the same boxing) from Orcs Nest in Covent Garden many years ago for a similar price - the old-fashioned version of the Lidl Special Deal!

 

Regards,

Adrian

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Hi John,

             It's a lovely kit, one of the best from Airfix. Like Adrian I've built it OOB and used it for several kit bashes. But, despite Airfix claims of 143mph in the history, the kit represents an early model with the 250hp Eagle IV. It has the early short undercarriage, short prop and no shutters on the radiator. Not sure what version Cadbury and Leckie flew but the early Profiles have some decent pictures of the shutters etc.

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On 5/16/2021 at 12:33 PM, stevehed said:

Hi John,

             It's a lovely kit, one of the best from Airfix. Like Adrian I've built it OOB and used it for several kit bashes. But, despite Airfix claims of 143mph in the history, the kit represents an early model with the 250hp Eagle IV. It has the early short undercarriage, short prop and no shutters on the radiator. Not sure what version Cadbury and Leckie flew but the early Profiles have some decent pictures of the shutters etc.

Their plane was reputedly A8032, one of the early Airco produced batches of which 683 were delivered and Bruce says that due to engine availability at the time they were modified on the production line to take whatever engine was available. Later, modifications meant that any version of RR Eagle could be fitted so presumably that included the taller undercarriages, but I cannot discover which engine was fitted to this particular machine - maybe somebody else can, but anyway it is a nice kit and strong enough to stand being walked on by an 7lb cat, unlike the Bristol Fighter next to it on the shelf at the time!

 

Pete

Edited by PeterB
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Here I am...I haven't forgotten!  I had to clear some space on the bench.

 

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I have cleaned up the larger pieces and given them all a bit of 'primer' so the speak...I think I'll use the Airfix Twins but I might end some more animated figurines in my Orion Stash...

 

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There are some sink marks on the wings, so I have given them some putty and will smooth them out later...

 

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Nice to be here!

 

--John

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On 23/05/2021 at 18:55, John Masters said:

Nice to be here!

And it's great to have you here John! Great to see you are underway successfully too! :thumbsup:

Kind regards,

Stix

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16 minutes ago, modelling minion said:

It might be an old kit but is taking shape very well.

Thanks Craig.  I imagine it will clean up well but right now the kit feels like a model of yore, minus all the glue-ey fingerprints. 

I also have to drill the rigging holes...🤪

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10 hours ago, modelling minion said:

I don't envy you that task at all!

Not a big deal.  20 minutes of careful drilling.  No more holes than any other twin-bay biplane.  I am not drilling for double flying wires, btw...

Still a few s[ots that could use some filler.  I'll get around to it.

 

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--John

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Everything is primed and the wooden bits just need their 'varnish', ie Clear Yellow.

 

Alas, I have forgotten the Airfix Twins yet again.  Sorry Cadbury and Leckie.  I guess they're off having a dram or two somewhere...

 

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--John

 

 

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On 6/2/2021 at 9:09 AM, AdrianMF said:

Nice wood effect!

 

Thank you Adrian.  

 

Back at it...Humbrol 29 is a Dark Earth colour.  I figure they mean PC12, so I mixed up some Dark Grey 9Lamp Black), Desert Yellow (Yellow Ochre) and touch of red.

 

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This is what it looks like.  I'm ok with it for PC12.  It looks more grey in the photo.

 

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--John

 

 

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Very nice build. 

 

I hadn't appreciated how big a DH4 was. Quite a distance between the pilot and observer.

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